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GEOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT 



By Henry T. Burr 

Principal, Willimantic Normal School, WiUmiantic, Connecticut 



EARLY HISTORY 

The first settlement in Connecticut was 
made about 1614 by the Dutch, who sailed 
up the Connecticut River and establisiied a 
trading post where the citv of Hartford now 
stands. Thev chose this location because it 
was near the head of navigation on the river 
and therefore convenient for their purpose as 
traders. In 1633 English settlers from Mas- 
sachusetts began to come to the same region. 
They were attracted by the strips of fertile 
land which border the river on both sides at 
this point. The first English settlements 
were made at Windsor, Wethersfield, and 
Hartford, and soon afterward the interven- 
ing territory was occupied. There was con- 
stant friction between the English settlers 
and the Dutch traders. The latter were 
soon outnumbered and finally withdrew, 
leaving the English in full possession. 

English settlements were independently 
made at Saybrook in 1635 and at New Haven 
in 1638. Saybrook was chosen because of its 
situation at the mouth of the Connecticut 



E. p. 6 



Copyright, 1916, 1921, by American Book Company. 



River, which provided a harbor and offered 
easy access to the interior. New Haven was 
selected for its excellent harbor and also be- 
cause of the broad lowland which lay to the 
north of it. 

Other settlements soon de\eloped along 
the shore both east and west of New Haven 
as well as in the central lowland. In 1662 
these settlements were all united under the 
name of the Connecticut colony by a charter 
granted by King Charles II. The influence 
of geographical conditions in determining the 
location of the settlements of the colony is 
indicated by the fact that, of the first twenty 
settlements, ten were on the coast, six on the 
river, and two on both coast and river. 1 he 
uplands were not settled until later, after 
the more favorable locations were largely 
occupied. 

Connecticut undoubtedly owes its inde- 
pendent existence as a colony and later as 
a state to its geographical conditions. The 
fertile lowland which attracted the early 
settlers was separated from the Massachu- 
setts Bay colony by over a hundred miles of 

©CI.A617605 



66 



GEOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT 



/ r. 




rough wilderness, which, at rliat time, offered 
no inducement to settlers and was without 
roads other than Indian trails. Thus the 
Connecticut settlers soon became used to 
governing themselves, and Massachusetts 
made no determined effort to exercise author- 
ity over them. 

POSITION, FORM, AND SIZE 

Position and Form. — Connecticut is the 
southernmost of the New England states. 
It IS roughly rectangular in shape, its length 
from east to west being nearly twice its 
breadth from north to south. 

Size. — Connecticut is one of tlie smallest 
states. It occupies but one degree of lati- 
tude and a little less than two degrees of 
longitude. An automobile can easily go 
from Rhode Island on the east to New 
York on the west in less than a day, and 
the fast express trains running from Bos- 
ton to New \'ork cross it m about three 
hours. 

It IS about four times the size of the neigh- 
boring state of Rhode Island, which is the 
smallest in the country. It is less than one 
sixth the size of Maine, the largest New 
England state, and it would take nearly 
fifty-four states the size of Connecticut to 
equal the area of 1 exas. 



RELIEF 



Uplands and Lowland. — Connecticut is 
divided into three parts, — an eastern up- 
land, a western upland, and a broad lowland 
lying between. In a general way the uplands 
are alike. Each consists of numerous hills, 
rounded and smooth of slope for the most 
part but occasionally broken by rugged 
cliffs. Neighboring hills rise to the same 
general level. Very rare]\' does a single hill 
overtop the others near it. In general, the 
eastern upland is lower than the western. 
In both the heights increase gradually from 
the shore northward. The greatest altitudes 
of Connecticut are in the northwest corner 
of the state. Bear Mountain, in the extreme 
northwest, with a height of 2355 feet, is the 
highest peak. 

The central lowland is underlain by softer 
rocks than those of the uplands, and by 
weathering and erosion this region has been 
reduced to a nearly level plain. Some layers 
of trap, a la\'a rock, in the soft sandstone are 
harder and stand up as ridges above the 
general level. East Rock and West Rock at 
New Haven, the Meriden Hills, and the 
ridge running from Meriden to Mount Tom 
and Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts are of 
this character. 

Claciation. — Connecticut lies within the 
glaciated region. The great ice sheet mov- 
ing southward over the hills smoothed them 
into the rounded forms that are now so 
common. The materials worn from the 
hills were spread over the lowlands. In 
places this material, known as till, was heaped 




S — S.iti<JsIone out of «likh tin; luwl.ind hns been eroded. 

0-Ol'i roc^iS of tlic uplands which are harder to erode tlian sandstone. 

T - Trap rock. Notice Ihc ridg^c, which is an outcrop of trap. 



Diagram showing a portion of the lowland 
and uplands in Connecticut 



JUL-7'^J 



GEOGRAPHY" OF CONNECTICUT 



67 



by the mo\'ing ice into rounded hills called 
drumlins. Such hills are foimd in Pomfret 
in eastern Connecticut and near New Britain 
in the central lowland. The streams from 
the melting glacier carried much sand and 
clay into the valleys and there deposited 
these materials. Much of the original soil 
produced b\' the weathering of the underlying 
rocks was removed and replaced hv clay and 
other glacial materials which the ice brought 
from other places to the north. In places 
the glacial deposits acted as dams to form 
lakes. In other places they produced falls 
and rapids. Connecticut owes its man\' 
ponds and its fine water power to glacial 
action. 

Coast. — The coast of Connecticut is rocky 
and irregular but lacks the cliffs and bold 
promontories ot the northern New England 
coast. The irregularity of the coast line 
produces some excellent harbors. Ihose at 
New London, New Haven, and Bridgeport 
are the most important. Others, however, 
are used as ports tor fishing boats, pleasure 
craft, and small coastwise vessels. New 
London harbor is the only one deep enough 
for large steamers. 

DRAINAGE 

The Connecticut is the longest and one of 
the most important of the New England, 
rivers. It early formed one of the great 
trade routes of the region, first as a water- 
way and later as a route tor railroads which 




Dam in Farmington K 



i .niffville 



extend along its banks throughout almost us 
entire length. Its falls and rapids have been 
dammed to turnish power to many mills. Its 
strips of flood plain and terraces afford, on 
the whole, the most tertile tarm land in 
New England. It is navigable to vessels of 
moderate draft as far as Hartford, nearly 
fitr\" miles from its mouth. Iiom the Massa- 
chusetts line on the north to Middletown it 
lies within the lowland. At Middletown it 
enters the eastern upland and flows to the 
sea in a narrow, picturesque valley. 

The Housatomc River rises in the Berk- 
shire Hills of Massachusetts, and traverses 
the western part ot Connecticut from north 
to south. Its main tributary, the Nauga- 
tuck, furnishes water power tor some of the 
most prosperous manufacturing cities in the 
state. 




Connecticut Valley near Middletown. Ni 



V 111 It the I i\( 1 1( avts Liu 1 II o.id ](nvUi 




.land 



68 



GEOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT 



The Thames, really a tidal estuary rather 
than a river, is navigable to Norwich. Its 
mouth, at New London, forms one of the 
finest harbors on the Atlantic coast. Its 
head waters, the Shetucket, Qumnebaug, and 
Willimantic rivers, furnish abimdant water 
power. 

There are many ponds and small lakes, 
due, in most cases, to glacial obstructions in 
the river valleys. These are valuable as 
reservoirs which restrain the floods m ramy 
seasons and maintain the flow of the rivers 
in dry periods. Some have been enlarged 
for this purpose by dams built across their 
outlets. Many summer visitors are attracted 
to these lakes by their beauty and the oppor- 
tunities for boating and fishing which they 
afford. Bantam Lake, in the towns of 
Morris and Litchfield, is the largest body of 
fresh water in Connecticut. 

CLIMATE 

The climate of Connecticut resembles that 
of the other New England states. It is cold 
in winter and warm in summer, but sudden 
changes of temperature are liable to occur in 
all seasons. There is less snowfall in Con- 
necticut than in the northern New England 
States, and, except in the extreme northwest, 
the snow seldom lies on the ground for long 
periods. 




The rainfall is, on the whole, abundant, 
reaching a yearly average of about forty- 
five inches. Dry spells are, however, not 
uncommon and are sometimes serious to the 
farmers and to those manufacturers who 
depend on water power. In fact, most fac- 
tories which use water power have steam 
plants ready for use when the water power 
is not sufficient for their needs. 

FORESTS, GAME, AND FISH 

Forests. — A considerable portion of the 
state is covered with trees. The original 
forests, however, have been cut off and most 
of the trees now standing are of compara- 
tively recent growth. Lumbering has, there- 
fore, ceased to be a very important industry, 
although carried on in a small way in all 
parts of the state. The trees are largely oak, 
maple, chestnut, and other hardwoods, and 
scattering growths of the softwoods, particu- 
larly pine, hemlock, and cedar. 

Game. — The larger wild animals excepting 
the deer have disappeared from Connecticut. 
The deer have been protected by law in 
recent years and have become very numer- 
ous. Small game is still fairly abundant in 
the uplands. 

Fish. — Fishing is carried on in a small 
.way at many of the shore towns, but there is 
no large market for fish in the state. The 
cultivation of ovsters is an important indus- 
try at many places along the shore, and the 
total value of the product is considerable. 
The natural oyster beds which formerly 
existed in great numbers along the entire 
shore have become greatly depleted and are 
no longer used except for the gathering 
of young or " seed " oysters. These are 
planted in favorable localities and carefully 
cultivated until they reach marketable size. 
Shad fishing was formerly an important in- 
dustry on the Connecticut River. It is 
still carried on, but the catch is growing 
smaller. 



GEOGRAPHY OF GONNECl ICU T 



69 



AGRICULTURE 

Soil. — The soil ot Ooiiiucticut is largely 
glacial in its origin. It is otten so full of 
bowlders that it cannot be profitably worked, 
and large areas are fit only for pasture and 
woodland. The rough stone walls so char- 
acteristic of New England hill farms bear 
witness to the heavy labors of the early 
settlers in clearing the land for tillage. The 
central lowland contains much good soil. 
It IS composed largely of sand and clay 
washed from the glacier during its melting 
stages. This soil is nor richer than the 
bowlder clay of the uplands, but is finer and 
more easily worked. The level or gentl\' 
rolling surface ot the lowland region is also 
a great advantage to the farmer, making pos- 
sible the more extensue use of labor-saving 
machinery and reducing the cost of carrying 
his products to markets. Good farm lands 
are found in other parts of the state along the 
streams and in places among the hills. 

Products. — The leading crops of the state, 
m the order of value, are hay. tobacco, pota- 
toes, and corn. lobacco is largeh raised in 
a limited area in the northern part of the 
central lowland and m the vicinity of New 
Milford in the western part of the state. 
Connecticut tobacco is largely used for the 
outer layers or " wrappers " of cigars. 1 he 
other three crops are rather evenly distrib- 
uted over the entire state. 

The large number of near-by markets, 
including those of Boston and New^ ^ ork, 
and the excellent railroad connections are 
great advantages to the Connecticut farmer. 
These make it profitable to engage in market 
gardening, dairying, and poultry raising. 
For the same reason flowers, nursery stock, 
and small fruits are extensively grown, 
largely on small farms near the cities. 

MINING AND MANUFACTURING 

Mining. — The rocks of the Connecticut up- 
lands contain a great variety of minerals. 




Tobacco in the Connecticut Vallev 



In former times copper, iron, and lead were 
miiutl. Ihe deposits are not, however, in 
pa\ ing iiuantiries, and the onlv mine now in 
operation is a small iron mine near Salisbur\ . 
1 his mine can be worked profitably in com- 
petition with the great iron ore deposits in 
other sections of the country because of the 
presence of manganese in the ore. This 
unites with the iron in smelting and produces 
a \'erv tough metal which is particularlv 
adapted to the manufacture of car wheels. 

Cuanite quarries are found in a number ot 
places, notably at Stony Creek and 1 homas- 
ton. Man\' small quarries scattered through 
the upland region produce a stone which is 
known locally as granite but which is really 
gneiss. It IS an inferior stone which is used 
large!\' in foundations and walls of buildings. 

1 he red sandstone of the Connecticut low- 
land, known commercialK as brownstone, 
was formerly quarried extensively at Port- 
land. Brownstone is, however, no longer in 
fashion as a building stone and the industry 
has dwindled. Feldspar is quarried at Glas- 
tonbury, Portland, and Haddam. It is used 
in the manufacture of porcelain. Kaolin, 
used for a similar purpose, is quarried in the 
town of Sharon. Limestone is quarried in 
North Canaan both for marble and for the 
manufacture of lime. Ihe Capitol at Hart- 
ford is made of marble from these cpiarries. 



7° 



GEOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT 




Warping department ot a cotton mill, Putnam 



Typcvvritcr factory, Hartford 



Extensive deposits ot" brick clay are found 
in the lowland from the Massachusetts line 
to New Haven. 

The hills of the lowland region afford an 
unlimited supply of trap rock. This is 
crushed and used for surfacing roads and 
building concrete walls. 

Manufacturing. — The chief wealth of Con- 
necticut lies in its manufactures. When the 
great agricultural lands of the Middle West 
were opened to settle- 
ment, the Connecticut 
farms were unabit- to 
compete with the more 
productive farms of the 
West, and the people 
turned their attention 
largely to manufactur- 
ing. Thev were led 
in this direction also 
by the abundance of 
water power, and by 
the nearness of large 
cities where tlie jirod- 
ucts could be sold. 
1 he people seem to 
have been particularly 
adapted to manufac- 
turing, and their inven- 
tive genius has become 
proverbial. In later 




years the railroads passing through Connecti- 
cut, between Boston and New York, have 
been important factors in the growth of 
manufacturing. In spite of the lack of raw 
materials, practically all ot which have to be 
imported, the growth of manufacturing has 
been rapid and still continues. 

The variety of manufactured products is 
very great even within the limits of each of 
the cities. In general, however, the area east 

of the Connecticut 

River IS devoted to 
textile industries, while 
the central and west- 
ern sections produce 
metal goods. Since 
the raw materials tor 
the latter industries 
must be brought from 
considerable distances 
at heavy freight 
charges, it is found 
most profitable to 
produce goods which 
require considerable 
skill in manufacture, 
such as clocks, builders' 
hardware, cutlery, and 
firearms, rather than 
the bulkier metal prod- 
ucts. 



k factory, Thomaston 



GEOGRAPHY" OF CONNECTICUT 



71 



TRADE ROUTES 

Long Island Sound is an imporrant water- 
way for Connecticut. Steamers run daily 
from Connecticut ports to New ^ ork. 1 here 
are also steamboat connections with Ldtii;; 
Island. The Connecticut and the Thames 
rivers carry the Sound traffic mlanil. 

The chief railroad routes he alont; the shore 
and in the Connecticut lowland from Spring- 
field in Massachusetts to New Haven. Along 
these routes it has been possdile to build 
railroads without steep grades or shar|i 
curves. Other miportant 
radroad lines follow the 
valleys of the larger 
streams. The Williman- 
tic, Ouinnebaug, and 
Thames in the east, the 
Farmington m the north, 
the lower Connecticut in 
the south, and the Housa- 
tonic and Naugatuck in 
the west are bordered by 
railroads. The only rail- 
road line of importance 
which does not cltiseh' 
follow the larger rivers 
is the line which trav- 
erses the state from east 
to west through Wilhmantic, Hartford, 
Waterbury, and Danbury. In spite of its 
sharp curves and steep grades this road is 
important because it forms the shortest route 
between some of the large Connecticut cities 
and because it connects with railroads from 
the west. 

As noted before, a part of Connecticut's 
industrial prosperity is due to its location on 
railroad lines between Boston and New ^'ork. 
Through trains between these two cities 
cross the state over three separate routes, 
and give nearly all the cities of the state 
direct access to these two great seaports. 
Two important freight routes from northern 
New England and Canada traverse the state, 




one passing through Palmer, Massachusetts, 
to New London, the other through Spring- 
field to New Haven. 

GOVERNMENT 

The most striking feature of state govern- 
ments in New England is the importance of 
the local unit, or town. Annually the legal 
voters of each town gather together in a 
town meeting to elect officers, to lay taxes, 
and to determine the policx' of the town tor 
the coming year. The chief officers are the 
silictmen. 

When the population 
of a town becomes so 
large that its problems 
become too complicated 
to be dealt with in a 
popular assembly, the 
town or, in some cases, 
the populous section of 
the town applies to the 
legislature for a city 
charter. City govern- 
nunts are not uniform 
t\(.n tor cities of the 
same size. In general, 
however, provision is 
nuKle for a representa- 
ti\e bod\' known as the 
cit\ council or board of aldermen, which is 
elected b\ the people and makes laws or 
ordinances for their government. A mayor 
is also elected, whose duty it is to see that 
the ordinances are carried out. 

A borough, in Connecticut, is a unit of 
government intermediate between that of 
the town and the cit\. Its chief executive is 
called the warden and its legislative body the 
burgesses. The borough officers are nor 
given so much authority as are those of the 
city, and the popular assembly is retained. 

The strong tendency, to preserve the influ- 
ence of the town in Connecticut, is shown 
in the manner of choosing representatives to 
the state legislature. 'This consists of two 



72 



GEOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT 






Connecticut Agricultural College, Storrs 



Ihe CDiinty is, however, in Connecticut, of 
vei\ sli<iht political importance. The chief 
oHicials in the county are the county com- 
missioners. 

EDUCATION 

1 he educational interests of the state are 
m the hands of the state board of education. 
The executive officer is the secretary of the 
board. In accordance with the strong feeling 
in Connecticut tor local self-government, the 
towns are allowed much freedom in con- 
ducting their schools, but the state board 
has many important powers. 

Tiie state maintains four normal schools 
for the training of teachers. These schools 
are located at New Britain, Willimantic. 
New Haven, and Danbury. 

Connecticut Agricultural College, situated 
at Storrs, about eight miles north of Willi- 
mantic, is maintained by the state in con- 



legislative bodies, the senate and the house 
of representatives. No town may elect more 
than two representatives to the latter body. 
Thus New Haven, with its large population, 
has no more representatives than the smallest 
town in the state with a population of less 
than four hundred. The senators are chosen 
by senatorial districts, which are made as junction with the national government, 
nearly equal in population as possible. Thus Connecticut docs not maintain a state 

the Connecticut senate represents the people; university. It contains, however, four en- 
the house of representatives, the towns. dowed institutions of this rank, — ^Yale Univer- 

The legislature makes the laws by which sity at New Haven, Wesleyan University at 
the state is governed. The enforcement of Middletown, Trinity College at Hartford, and 
the law is intrusted to the executive depart- Connecticut College for Women at New 
ment, of which the governor is the head. 
Other officers of this department are the 
lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, 
the treasurer, and the comptroller. The latter 
two officials look after the state's financial 
affairs. Boards or commissions are ap- 



London. 

Yale University is, with the exception of 
Harvard, the oldest in New England. It 
was founded at Saybrook in 1701 and moved 
to New Haven in 1717. 

Hartford Theological Seminary at Hart- 



pointed to carry our important activities of ^oil and Berkeley Divinity School at Middle- 

the state. Among these are the board of edu- town are important institutions for training 

cation, the board of agriculture, the board of ministers and religious workers, 
health, the public utilities commission, the 

workmen's compensation commission, and the r*.7rULAl lUiN AiNU LI 1 Itb 

highway commissioner. Connecticut has a population of 1,380,631. 

The judicial department of the state con- It the people were evenly distributed over 

sists of a supreme court, a superior court in the whole state, there would be 286 to each 

each county, and justice courts in each town square mile. Rhode Island, Massachusetts, 



for minor affairs. Other courts are estab- 
lished for special purposes. 

Tlfe state is divided into eight counties. 



and New Jersey are the only states in the 
country more densely populated. 

The early population of Connecticut was 



GEOGRAPHY' OF CONNF.C'l'ICUT 



73 



almost wholly of English descent. Within 
the last half century, however, immigrants 
from other parts of Europe have entered the 
state in large nunihers. At first these came 
from northern and western Europe, hut the 
hiter comers are largely from eastern and 
southern Europe. According to the last 
census over one quarter of the people ot 
Connecticut were born in tortign countries. 

The great industrial development of the 
last fifty \ears has tended to draw the native 
population also toward the cities. 1 hus the 
rural towns have grown very slowly t)r even, 
in some cases, have diminished in size. 1 he 
cities, on the other hand, have had a rapid 
growth which still continues. About two 
thirds of the population of Connecticut now 
live in cities of io,ooo t)r more inhabitants. 
New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford, and 
Waterbury, the four largest cities, have a 
combined population of about 400,000, which 
is more than one third of the total popula- 
tion ot the state. 

Coast Cities. — The two largest cities of 
Connecticut, New Haven and Bridgeport, 
owe their growth very largely to their harbor 
facilities. New London is another coast city 
that possesses a good harbor. 

New Haven is the largest city in the state 
and the second in the value ot its manu- 
factured products. With its harbor and 
exceptional railroad facilities, it is a trade 



E 





^'^AA1'h''iK^^^ 



Buildings of Yale University, New Haven 



center ot imiiortance. Its principal manu- 
factures are hardware, plumbers' supplies, 
firearms, steam boilers, machinery, and other 
products of iron, steel, and brass. It is the 
seat ot ^ ale Universitv, long a powerful 
influence in the affairs of the state and in 
the educational world. Ihe Green, fronting 
the university-, in the heart of the city, with 
Its row of historic old churches and its beau- 
tiful elms, is nearl\' as famous as the univer- 
sity itself. 

Bridgeport, the first city in Connecticut in 
value of its manufactures and the second in 
population, is situated about seventeen miles 
west of New Haven, on the best harbor in 
western Connecticut. It owes its growth to 




Factory for making army supplies. Bridgeport 



74 



CJEOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT 



IhWP^I Wi 




Cities of the Central Lowland. — In colonial 
days, the fertile soil of the Central Lowland 
led to rapid growth of settlements. 1 he 
level surface of this lowland encouraged the 
building of railroads through it, and these 
are now the chief advantage which this region 
presents to the manufacturer. 

Hartford, the state capital, is situated near 
the center of the state, at the head of navi- 
gation on the Connecticut River. Its fine 
capitol, with its beautiful park sloping toward 
the heart of the city ; its many public build- 
ings ; and its broad and well-kept streets 
make it a very attractive city. 

It is an important manufacturing city and 
its harbor and to its location near New ^'ork o^e of the great insurance centers of the 
on the main line of traffic. Irs principal country. Its manufactures include ma- 
products are guns and other munitions of chinery, firearms, typewriters, rubber tires, 
war, submarines, sewing machines, electrical ^.^^\^ ^^^ screws, and other metal goods, 
machinery, graphophones, corsets, and metal Railroads radiate from Hartford in all 

goods of many kinds. directions. These lines and the navigable 

New London, at the mouth of the Thames, ^iver make it an important trade center. 
is located on one of the finest harbors on the Xh^ fertile farm lands and the smaller manu- 
New England coast. In the days of the facturing towns which surround it bring it 
whaling industry it was a great shipping p^uch local traffic and help support its fine 
center and still has a considerable trade by retail stores. Among the educational insti- 
sea. It is on the main railroad line between tuitions located in Hartford are Trinity Col- 
New York and Boston and is the terminus \^^^ a„j ^j^e Hartford Theological Seminary, 
of the Central Vermont Railway, which Next to Hartford the largest city in the 

brings freight from northern New England lowland is New Britain, known as the " Hard- 
and Canada. ware City." It manufactures a wide \ariety 

New London is the center of a group of ^f ,T^etal goods, including builders' hardware, 
summer resorts. Connecticut College for i,,(,ks, cutlery, aluminum ware, screws, tools, 
Women is north of the city. 2,.,j machinery. 

The chief manufactures of New London 



Meriden, about halfway between Hartford 
and New Haven, is known especially for its 
silver-plating industries. It manufactures 
also lighting fixtures, cutlery, electrical ap- 
pliances, and other metal products. The 
Connecticut School for Boys, a reformator\ 
institution, is located here. Wallingford, near 
Meriden, also manufactures plated ware. 

North of H:irtf()r(l on the river are the iiiami- 
facturinf; towns of Windsor, Windsor Locks, and 
homes of people whose business interests are in Enfield. Thompsonville, in the town of Lnfieid, is 
the city of New \'ork. noted for its carpet works. 

xiv 



an- (]uilts and silk goods. Across the harbor, 
in Groton, is a plant for the maiiufacture of 
fine marine engines especially adapted to 
submarines. The United States government 
is developing a submarine base here. 

South Norwalk is engaged in the coastwise 
trade and has a variety of manufacturing interests. 
Stamford is noted for its manufacture of locks, 
i he modern type of locks with the flat key orig- 
inated here. At Greenwich are the beautiful 



GEOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT 



East of Hartford is South Manchester, iiotiil 
for its great silk mills. Still taitlui L-ast, on tlu- 
edge of the upland, a small stream falling to the 
valley below furnishes unusually fine water power 
to the city of Rockville. This is a textile city, 
manufacturing both ct)tt()n and woolen goods. 

Middletown, at the bend of the CdiiiKcticut 
where it enters the eastern upland, manufactures 
hydraulic machinery, rubber goods, and textiles. 
Wesleyan University is located here. Near the 
city is a state hospital for the insane. Across 
the river is Portland, with its great brownsto'ie 
quarries. 

Bristol is situated on the western edge of the 
lowland where the Pequabuck, a tributary of the 
Farmington, issues from the hills. It makes iron 
castings, clocks, fishing rods, and a variety ot 
metal goods. Collinsville, farther north on the 
Farmington River, manufactures tools. 

Inland Cities of Eastern Connecticut. — 
The inland cities of eastern Connecticut are 
engaged chiefly in the manufacture of textiles. 

Norwich, at the head of navigation on the 
Thames, is a prosperous manufacturing city. 
The Yantic and Shetucket rivers, which 
unite at this point to form the Thames, are 
swiftly flowing streams which furnish abun- 
dant water power. Tiie chief manufactures 
are cotton te.xtiles. 

Norwich has a beautiful memorial library 
and art gallery. On the mer, below the 
cit\', is a state hospital lor the insane. 

Willimantic, sixteen miles north of Nor- 
wich, is widely known as the "Thread City." 
In addition to thread, it manufactures cotton 
cloth and silk and velvet goods. It owes its 
location to the fine water power developed 
in the Willimantic River. 

Grosvenor Dale, Putnam, Danielson, Plainfield, 
and Jewett City, in the eastern end of the state, are 
largely engaged in the manuhicture of textiles. 

Cities of the Naugatuck Valley. — The 
cities of the Naugatuck \ alley are largely 
engaged in the manufacture of brass products. 

Waterbury, the fourth city in population 
and the third in the value of its products, is 
located on the Naugatuck River at the junc- 
tion of two important railroad lines. It is 




the leading center of the brass industry of 
the United States. Its products include 
rolled and cast brass and copper, German 
silver goods, clocks and watches, copper wire, 
and plated ware. 

Torrington, in the north, produces rolled and 
sheet brass, needles, plated goods and castings. 
Thomaston has long been a center for the manu- 
facture of clocks. Naugatuck and Beacon Falls 
produce rubber goods. Ansonia and Derby make 
heavy castings and brass protlucts. 

Inland Cities of Western Connecticut. — Dan- 
bury is the most impnrtant center in the country 
for the manufacniie of hats. Winsted, in the 
northern part ot the st.ite. makes clocks, edged 
tools, and many other products. 



Cities .\nd Boroughs that had 2500 Inh.^bitants or More 
IN 1020 





Population 




POPUL 


\TION 


Cities 






Cities 
















l<^20 


HJIO 




1920 


1910 


An^ntiia 


1 7. "4.3 


i.=!,i.';2 


New London 


25.6S8 


10.6W 


Bridgeport 


l4f.,v5S 


118.4.34 


Norwall; 


27.743 


6.g54 


Bri-lul 


20.020 


0..i27 


Norwit h 


22,304 


2o.,;07 


Danljurv 


l>!.Q4.i 


20.2J4 


Putnam 


7,711 


6,6(7 


Di-rljv 


ll.2;S 


S.flo I 


Roikville 


7,726 


7.077 


H.irtford 


138,0,56 


gS,oi5 


Shelton 


g.47.=; 


4.807 


.Mtriden 


20,807 


27.2U.S 


St am lord 


35.og<i 


25, n8 


Middletown 


i,>,0j8 


11,851 


Water!)nry 


g ■ . 7 1 .? 


73.141 


New Britain 


.Si^.O" 


4.3.0 lb 


\\ illimantic 


12,330 


1 1.230 


New Haven 


It)2.SI0 


IJ3.005 








Boroughs 






Boroughs 






Bethel 


;,2oi 


,5.041 


Naugatuck 


I s,osi 


12,922 


Branford 


2, dig 


2.560 


Soutiiington 


s 08 s 


3.714 


Danielson 


.i.l.iO 


2.g34 


Stafford .Springs 


3,385 


3.050 


Greenwich 


S.ijSg 


?,806 


TorrinRton 


20,023 


I.';.4S3 


Groton 


4,2.i(> 


i,8g5 


W'allingfor.l 


g.04S 


S,6go 


Jewett City 


j.io'J 


.S.02.3 









76 



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Ml 







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\av.S»i^^ iasdr'7%': Brook I;. «f,Ellihbtpn- 




jXuitc 






Vuitchtleld, 



Bantarr^^ 



Vyrnon Cen 

'E 5i+( o)nI 

ernf 












'flCaVldri.v/le /^i s S-iVg^to n&s' v*'"p„;:S'r ''^-31!*'' 

VXH\lf/ /ifS ft y?' r6ETHLEHE> U BW*'^^' 

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estvilliE 



fH«Mi1:^?^lVvJ 



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ox F O R\D\ 



StHEi 



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> 1 . 



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,\BranchvHJfT) \ J \\"-| ^ \_, ^ WNL^''*^ 

» (Jffilfordjiy ^j 

i V '7'.!/^"' ' V-"!" <'i'^S'ife''M.ti 



1 I _l I WE&T PORT v 

"fordi ^VAAN Winnll ukl i ffl\vtjtp*l' 










Lf V\... i.S,S?omr,.^rf«l•NorofX^i-^-- 



72 .30 West 



XVI 



\/rv 










tCE 



4- 'ij-iLL^ i'r"::r??!!KS 



jT^btJlin, ( ^ C9>rnft^* Ri» 






^ o J r Center' ^■-— V- n 
^^ W e-S(X r R E f N v/l C H^^-i* 





J~^ 



r 



^ 



Narragansctt 
\i\ * / pier 



i^' r 



( Gciz-rf/nera Pt. 
j\ bAROlNERS 



Sandy Pt., 



\Clay Hd 



/new/ 

BLOCK ISLAND M/ 
(ToNVwporl Co-.U.!,) ,';f UBIock 

Oivkvns f>t,\»^^fi^KfSOId Hafhai 



Pi. , 



B/i(cA PotA 



Phyt^icul and rulitical 

Connecticut 

AND 

RHODE Island 



Sl.iIi: ..f ?l.;tult Milt- 



■^^g Harboj 




CD' 



'•^it Capitals -'-County Scats 
Citifs are underlined. 

Size of type indicates n-IuMvt populatinti 
i>f ritici. towns :iud boroughs. 

100.000 and o;cr Bridg'eport 

T'Coon to 100. 000 Pawtucket 
lO.OOfi (u r.o.o^n) New Britain 

r..000 to Ul.dOO Winkled 

County Seats with less than 
fj.OOO popnlation Kniyston 

Steam Uailioadt; 

Elettru' KaJlroads. — -^ — -*^' 



COP'RIGHT.SV AMEBICAN ROOK CO 



I I 



svn 




GEOGRAPHY OF RHODE ISLAND 



By Robert M. Brown 

Professor of Geography, Rhode Island Normal School, Providence, Rhode Island 



HISTORY 



other settlements were made at Newport and 
Portsmouth on the island which gives its 
" To hold forth a lively experiment that name to the state and which is said by one 
a most flourishing civil state may stand and authority to be named for the island of 
best be maintained with full liberty in reli- Rhodes and by another to have been named 
gious concernments." This is the inscription by its discoverer, Rhoode Eylanat, "red 
written on the Capitol at Providence, and the island." These settlements were later united 
sense of the motto is expressed frequently in under the name of Rhode Island and Pro\i- 
the early history of Rhode Island. Previous dence Plantations. 



to 1636, the area about Narragansett Bay was 
inhabited solely by Indians and they have left 
behind them as monuments the many names 
of the physical features of the state. It is 
recorded that the explorer Verrazano dis- 
covered Narragansett Bay in 1524 and that 



The history of the state centers almost 
entirely about Narragansett Bay, and it is 
not strange that very early the colony had a 
navy of its own. Conscious of the intent of 
the founders, it resisted any imposition of 
taxation by the mother country, sinking in 



Adrian Block, who gave his name to Block 1669 the armed sloop Liberty and in 1772 
Island, explored the bay in 1614. The first burning the Gaspee, vessels which had been 
permanent settlement was not made until sent by England to curb the activities of the 



1636, when Roger Williams, driven from 
Massachusetts becau.se his opinions were in- 
tolerable to his neighbors, established near 
the headwaters of the bay a town which he 
called Providence, " for God's merciful provi- 



inhabitants; and, in reality, these were the 
first overt acts of the Revolution. 

Still jealous of her freedom, the state was 
the last of the thirteen states to enter the 
Union ; and the strength and insistence of 



dence to me in my distress." Soon after, her sons in convention during the early years 

£ P t, Copyright, 1916, 1921, by American Book Company. x\iii 



J 



©CI.A617G06 



GEOGRAPHY' OF RHODE ISLAND 



79 



of the Republic maintained the integrity of line. Mount Hope, the scene of Indian 
the state and prevented its partition by Mas- 
sachusetts and Connecticut. Once firmly es- 
tablished, ho\ve\er, the growth of the state has 
gone on with tew mterruptions, hrst as a 
farming community, then as a commercial 
district, and now as a manufacturing state. 

POSITION AND SIZE 

Position. — The southern shore of Block 
Island is about 8' north of the 41 ' parallel, 
and the northeastern corner of the state ex- 
tends about z' north of the 42" parallel. 
The southern point of the mainlantl, in the ex- 
treme southwestern corner, is in the latitude 

of 41° 6' N. The east-to-west dimension of tends along the western side of Narragansett 
the state is somewhat less than the distance Bay from Pro\idence to Warwick, 
from north to south, and it lies wholl\ between The most important part of the coast line 



wars 

during colonial da\"s, is a knoll, 200 feet 
high, situated on an inlet of Narragansett 
Ba\ neai Bristol. The surface of the state 
has a rolling character; the plain has been 
cut and worn by streams, lea\ing rounded 
hills and between them broad \'alle\ s, while 
the invasion of the great ice sheet during the 
glacial period co\ered the state with a layer 
of glacial drift, m which are many bowlders 
of great size. In places the glacial drift 
formed moraimc hills. In addition to the 
hills of drift, the glacier left much material 
scattered in plains of faint relief, called sand 
plains, a good representatne of which ex- 



the 71"' W. and 72' W. meridians. 



of Rhode Island is the great indentation, 



Size. — Rhode Island is the smallest state Narragansett Bay, which extends two thirds 
of the Union. I rom Providence at the head of the way into the state. The south shore, 
of the Providence Ri\'er, one may reach facing the Atlantic, is low and slopes gradually 
Woonsocket on the northern border by train under the water, so that vessels cannot ap- 
within a half hour. Westerly in the southwt-st proach the land except where a river, as the 
in one ht)ur and fifteen minutes, and the Pawcatuck, scours a channel across the con- 
sail down the Bay to Newport consumes tinental shelf. Narragansett Bay was formed 
but two hours. Delaware, the next state in b\' the sinking of the land, which allowed the 
size, IS nearh' twice as large, while I exas, the sea to enter the broad vallex' now occupied by 
largest in the United States, is 213 times the the waters of the ba\ . In this broad valley 
size of Rhode Island. were numerous hills which were not sub- 
merged in the subsidence and now extend their 
RELIEl* AND DRAINAGE ^^^^ above the waters, forming the islands of 

Relief. — The upland region of southern Rhode Island. 

New England, an uplifted plain, slopes from Drainage. — The term "river" is applied m 



the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts 
and Connecticut and from the White Moun- 
tains of New Hampshire to the sea. Rhode 
Island's position in the southern margin of 
this upland, with no point fifty miles from 
the ocean, gives it a relatively low relief, 
rhe highest point in the state, Durfee Hill, 
near the northwestern corner, is 805 feet above 
rhe level of the sea, and only a small section, 
in the same general locality, is above ^oo feet ; 
while a much larger area, adjacent to rhe 
ocean and bay, is below the 200 foot conrour 



Rhode Island not only to rivers proper but 
also to the estuaries or great arms of the bay. 
Thus the Seekonk River is a narrow parr of 
the bay extending from Pawtucket to Pro\ i- 
dence. Providence River is the northern and 
narrower portion of the bay, and the Warren 
and Barrington rivers are likewise estuaries. 

The true rivers of the state flow into Nar- 
ragansett i5a\', except the Pawcatuck which 
reaches the sea in the extreme southwest- 
ern corner of rhe state. I he Blackstone 
River, rising rwent\ miles to the northwest 



8o 



GEOGRAPHY OF RHODE ISLAND 



of Woonsocket in Massachusetts, flows into 
the Seekonk ; the Pawtuxet, rising in the 
western part of tlie state and flowing through 
the center, flows into the Providence River; 
and the Pawcatuck, draining a large part of 
the southwestern part of the state in its lower 
reaches, forms the boundary line between 
Connecticut and Rhode Island. 

The invasion of the ice during the glacial 
period brought to the state a great quantity 
of loose materials, which were deposited 
unevenly over the area when the ice melted. 
Many streams were turned from their former 
courses and found new pathways to the 
sea. In cutting dovv^n new channels these 
streams encountered bed rock which halted 
the erosion at various points, and as the 
softer materials on the downstream side were 
removed, falls were formed. Navigation is 
therefore not possible upon them, but the 
rivers are valuable as sources of power, 
especially the Blackstone and the Pawtuxet. 

Besides turning many streams from their 
original beds, the deposition of glacial drift 
over the state blocked the headwaters of the 
streams and formed many small lakes. Rhode 
Island is dotted with lakes. Some are now 
used for water supply and some as camping 
sites. Many of these lakes were shallow and 
filled up quickly, forming swamps, which 
remain as undrained areas that sometime 
may be reclaimed to yield rich harvests of 
vegetables and fruits. 

Climate. — The most important climatic 
control is latitude, and Rhode Island's posi- 
tion between the 41st and 42d parallels of 
north latitude gives to it a high sun and long 
days in summer with the consequent high 
temperatures, and a low sun and short days 
in winter with low temperatures. Prevailing 
winds and nearness to the sea are two other 
factors that determine its climate. 

Rhode Island is located in the westerly 
wind belt (Sees. 61, 62), and the cyclonic 
storms (lows) and anti-cyclonic storms (highs) 
of this belt cause great variations in the 



seasonal temperatures. The proximity to the 
sea, although less influential on an east coast 
than a west coast under westerly winds, 
gives to the state fewer excesses of heat and 
cold than are experienced by an inland state. 
In Providence the average temperature ot 
July is 73.4° and that of January is 27.2°, 
making an annual range of 46.2° ; while at 
Block Island, the average temperature ot 
July is 68.1°, and that of January is 31.4"^, 
giving an annual range of but 36.7°. The 
diflerence between the annual range of these 
two places illustrates the influence of dis- 
tance from the sea upon climate. Altitude 
causes only slight local difterences, as the 
relief of the state is not great. 

The growing season (Fig. 71), which is the 
time between the last killing frost in spring and 
the first killing frost in autumn, is longer in 
Rhode Island than in any of the other New 
England states. This period is shorter in the 
northern part of the state than in the southern 
part. The last killing frost sometimes occurs in 
March, but more frequently it comes in April ; 
and the first killing frost is frequently as late 
as November. Especially along the coast 
ot the state the modif\ing influence of the 
sea IS felt, and thoiigii the winter days are at 
times bleak, they are never excessively cold. 
The influence of the sea in modifying tem- 
perature, however, is most potently marked 
in the summer, when the cooling influences 
of the ocean attract many summer visitors to 
the state and give a temporary increase to the 
population. Watch Hill, Narragansett Pier, 
and Newport stand out preeminently as 
summer resorts. The rainfall of the state is 
ample and is the heaviest along the ocean 
front, where over 45 inches per year is the 
average amount (Fig. 72). In the northern 
part of the state the annual rainfall is from 
40 to 45 inches ; while the extreme north- 
western section receives 35 to 40 inches. 
The rainfall is fairly well distributed through 
the year, so that the soil is kept moist, and 
long-continued droughts are not common. 



GEOGRAPHY' OF RHODE ISl^AND 



Si 






INDUSTRIES 

Agriculture. — Most of the 
soil in the state is of glacial 
origin. In the upiaiuis it is 
of no great thickness, and 
fre(]uently bare ledges are ex- 
posed, while o\"er the lowland 
a greater depth pre\ ails. As 
there are but small areas of 
alluvial soil, the greater part 
of the state has a rather 
coarse-textured soil. In the 
uplands the clay, usually in 
glacial soils, is absent, and 
the porous and stony char- 
acter of the soil makes it less 
valuable than the lowland soil, which contains 
the clay. According to the soil survey nearly 
fifty per cent of the state has a light brown 
sandy loam, the most ot this being too rough 
and too rock\' for profitable tillage and best 
suited to forestry or to orcharding. About 
twenty-one per cent ot the state's area has 
a mellow brown loam, the most productne 
soil in the state. 

About two thirds of the area of the state 
consists of farm land, but only one fourth of 
the total area consists of improved farm land. 
It is estimated that about 400 square miles, or 
thirty-seven per cent of the state, is covered 
with trees, but the growth is not vigorous 
and most of the trees are too small for timber. 
A few patches of pines exist, and cedars fill 
many of the southern swamps, but most of the 
forest area is covered with hardwoods. 

Hay is the leading crop of Rhotle Island 
and potatoes are second in importance. Corn 
is the most important cereal crop. In the 
vicinity of the large centers market gardens 
have sprung up and have been uniformly 
successful. Providence and the towns in its 
immediate vicinity offer an extensive market 
for garden products, and in the southern part 
of the state the summer resorts make a good 
demand for vegetables and fruits grown in 



-ife i-,-«;^^P .^jjfesiS 




A market garden near Providence 



the ail|acent areas. I he state is considered a 
natural orchard area, but only small quanti- 
ties of fruit are raised. 

1 he most important farm animals of Rhode 
Island are horses, dairy cattle, and poultry. 
The large manufacturing centers and summer 
resorts furnish ready markets for milk, eggs, 
and poultry. 

Mining. — Ihe \alue of minerals exceeds 
the \'alue of the agricultural output of the 
state, but does not ecjual in value the fisheries, 
fhe most famous product is granite, and 
Rhode Island stands ninth among the states 
in granite protluction. I his stone is quarried 
in main' places, but the real center of the in- 
dustiA is at Westerly in the southwestern 
part of the state. The WesterK granite has, 
because of its fine texture and color, found 
an extensn e m.irket for monumental work. 
Coal is mined 111 small amounts on Aquidneck 
Island, but it is of inferior (juality. 

Fishing. -Narragansett Hay offers a great 
extent of shallow water which has been used 
since the foundation of the colony as a fishing 
ground. Fishing gives occupation to onl\ a 
very small percentage of the people of the 
state (one half of one per cent), but the 
yieUl is worth in money ten times the output 
of the farms. More than one luilf the \alue 



82 



GEOGRAPHY' OF RHODE ISLAND 



of the fisheries comes from shellfish. Rhode points in New England. One line runs from 

Island clams are widely known and its oysters Providence westward into Connecticut, one 

are shipped in great quantities. The OAster extends northwestward to Pascoag and into 

catch is valued at three 

fourths of a mdlion dollars 

per year. Scup, squeteague, 

and lobsters are caught and 

form twenty-five per cent 

of the value of all products 

of this industry. 

Manufacturing. — Rhode 
Island is above everything 
else a manufacturing state, 
about fifty-five per cent of 
the working population be- 
ing engaged in this industry. 

The leading manufactur- 
ing industries of Rhode 
Island, in order of mipor- 
tance, are manufacturmg of 




Massachusetts, another runs 
northwestward to Worces- 
ter, and another southeast- 
ward to Fall River and 
Newport. One of the main 
railroads of this system 
connects Providence with 
Boston and New York. 

From Providence exten- 
sive trolley lines parallel the 
railroads and carry on a 
hea\'y business in both 
freight and passenger traffic. 

Providence is also the 
center of a coastwise traffic 
and is connected by boats 
with New York and Chesa- 



woolen and worsted goods, cotton manufac- peake Bay. One transatlantic line, the Fabre, 

turing, dyeing and finishing of textiles, and from southern Europe, stops at Providence, 

the making of jewelry. To-day Rhode Island and the state has recently erected a new 

holds first rank among the states in the value state pier in the city in order to extend its 

of jewelry manufactured. The state ranks facilities and attract trade. The bay during 

second in worsted goods, third in dyeing and the summer months is filled with many kinds 

finishing, and fifth in cotton goods. of vessels, and a fleet of steamers plies 

Most of the raw materials for manufactur- between the large resorts. 



ing come from afar. Rhode Island has no 
gold nor silver mines, no cotton fields, and 
but few flocks of sheep. It does, however. 



GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION 

Government. — The settlement of Rhode Is- 



contain a densely settled district of skilled land in somewhat isolated towns developed a 
artisans. The disadvantage of distance from purely democratic form of government in 
the sources of raw products is 
compensated by the abun- 
dance of skilled labor and by 
the nearness of markets for 
the finished products (Fig. 80). 
Transportation. — All the 
railroads in Rhode Island be- 
long to the New York, New 
Haven, and Hartford Railroad 
system (Page iv). By these 
lines Providence is connected 
with other cities and villages 
of the state and with other 




GEOGRAPHY OF RHODE ISLAND 



83 



which every voter could liave a hearing and a 
direct vote upon every issue. As soon as 
the town meeting became unwieldy, because 
of the mcreasmg size of the town, cities 
organized under representative government. 
Groujis of towns and cities are jomed as 
counties tor the holding ot court sessions onlv. 

The governor of Rhode Island, elected 
biennially, has less power than is granted 
governors of other states, inasmuch as the 
veto power is denied him. The legislature, 
called the General Assemhlv, is a small bodv ; 
each town or city has one senator, making 
thirty-nine, and each has representati\es ac- 
cording to the population, but the House is 
limited to a membership of seventy-two. 

Education. — The public schools of Rhode 
Island consist of elementary schools, high 
schools, the Rhode Island State Normal 
School, and the Rhode Island State College. 
The state board of education and the com- 
missioner of public schools have general su- 
pervision of the schools of the state. Some of 
the best features of the school system of Rhode 
Island are: the large number of professionally 
trained teachers, the length ot the school term, 
evening schools for those who cannot attend 
day schools, and the introduction of industrial 
education, including agricultural education. 

The Normal School trains teachers for the 
schools of the state. The State College offers 
courses in agriculture, engineering, and other 
applied sciences. 

Brown University, an endowed institution, 
is one of the leading universities of the United 
States. 

POPULATION AND CITIES 

Population. — Rhode Island has a popula- 
tion of 604,397. Although it is the smallest 
state in the I'nion, there are ten states 
with a smaller population. If the people 
were distributed uniformly o-'er the state, 
each square mile of area would contain 563 
persons, and tiiis density of population ex- 
ceeds that of anv other state of the United 



States. This high density is the result of 
the concentration of people in manufacturing 
centers. The six cities of the state contain 
429,175 persons, or over seventy per cent (A 
the entire population, and the total number 
of people in villages and cities ot 2500 in- 
habitants or more constitutes 96.7 per cent 
ot the population. 1 his percentage ot urban 
population is not exceeded by any other state 
of the Union. Two thirds of the population 
is native and one third is foreign born. The 
foreign white stock, including foreign born 
and those having one or both parents of 
foreign birth, exceeds two thirds ot the total 
population. 

Providence, at the head of the Providence 
River, is the largest city, the capital of the 
state, and the chief distributing center. It 
is the second city in size in New England, 




Distribution of population in Rhode Island 



84 



GEOGRAPHY OF RHODE ISLAND 




being exceeded by Boston. Providence is 
primarily a jewelry center. It is also noted 
for the manufacture of cotton, worsteds, 
high-grade tools, engmes, and boders. Be- 
sides being the center of the industrial life, 
Providence contains the state Capitol, Brown 
University, and the State Normal School. 

Pawtucket, the second city in population, is at 
the ht;id i)f the Seekonk River, an arm of 
Narragansett Bay, and along the lower reaches 
of the Blackstone River. Cotton and worsted 
goods and machinery are manufactured. 

Woonsocket, on the Blackstone and bordering 
Massachusetts, is noted for the manufacture of 
cotton and rubber goods. 

Newport, once a famous port and the capital of 
the state, is noted as a summer resort. The 



# 







State Capitol, Providence 



United States War College and Naval Training 
Station is located here. 

Cranston and Central Falls are manufacturing 
centers. The former is noted for bleaching, dye- 
ing, and calico printing, and the latter for the 
manufacture of textiles. 

Cotton goods are manufactured in Lonsdale, 
Valley Falls, ManviUe, Warren, Warwick, West 
Warwick, and Westerly. Chemical products are 
manufactured at East Providence and fish oil and 
fertilizers at Tiverton. Bristol, noted for ship 
building, has sent out many " cup defenders." 
Kingston, in the southern part of the state, is the 
seat of Rhode Island State College. Block Is- 
land, Narragansett Pier, Jamestown, and Watch 
Hill are famous resorts. 



Population of Counties, Cities, and Towns op 
Rhode Island, igjo 



Bristol County . . 

Barrington 

Bristol .... 

Warren 
Kent County 

Coventry . 

East Greenwich . 

Warwick . 

West Warwick . 

West CIrccnwich . 
Newport County . 

Jamestown 

Little Compton . 

Middletown . 

Newport (city) . 

New Shoreliam . 

Portsmouth . 

Tiverton . 
Providence County 

Burrillville 

Central Falls (city) 

Cranston (city) . 
The State . . 



23.11,5 
3.8q7 

11,375 
7.841 

38,269 
5.670 
3,290 

13.481 

IS. 461 
367 

42.893 
6.633 
1.389 
2,094 

30.255 
1,028 
2,590 
3.894 
475.190 
S,6o6 

24.179 

26,407 



Cxmiberland . 
East Providence . 
Foster .... 
Gloucester 
Johnston . 
Lincoln 

North Providence 
North Smithficld 
Pawtucket (city). 
Providence (city) 
Scituate . 
Smithfield 
Woonsocket (city) 
Washington County 
Charlestown . 
Exeter .... 
Hopkinton 
Narragansett 
North Kingston . 
Richmond 
South Kingston . 
Westerly . . 



10.077 

21,798 

0C5 

1,389 

6,855 

0,543 

7.647 

3.200 

64.248 

237.595 

3.006 

3.199 

43.496 

24.932 

759 

1,033 

. 2,316 

993 

3.397 

I..?OI 

S.iSr 

9.952 

604.397 









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